Horseshoe Bend Farm, City farm in Keilor, Victoria, Australia
Horseshoe Bend Farm is a 26-hectare park in Keilor, adjacent to Brimbank Park on the Maribyrnong River. Formerly a commercial farm, it retains an original 1930s weatherboard cottage, stables and outbuildings. The site is managed by Parks Victoria and has no livestock or educational facilities.
The site was a public reserve for grazing travelling livestock until it was subdivided between 1900 and 1954. William O'Neil Jnr ran a dairy farm there until his death in the 1930s, after which smaller lots were sold for orchards and market gardens. It later became a children's farm, closing in 2010; Parks Victoria took over and reopened it for pedestrian access in October 2016.
The name recalls a bend in the Maribyrnong River beside the site. The former children's farm closed in 2010, and after no leaseholder was found, community calls led Parks Victoria to reopen the grounds to pedestrians in October 2016. The 1930s weatherboard cottage, stables and outbuildings remain as traces of the dairy farm run by William O'Neil Jnr until his death in the 1930s.
The location sits about 20 minutes from Melbourne and is easy to reach by car. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, as walking paths and pasture areas can become muddy after rain.
A cottage from the 1930s with its original veranda and outbuildings stands on the property and shows how farming families lived back then. The building and surrounding gardens offer a rare look at daily life from decades ago.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,794 contributors worldwide.